Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 6-5-20

National
Nation’s Streets Calmest In Days, Protests Largely Peaceful
60,000 Strong: The Sounds And Images Of Houston Coming Together For George Floyd
If you want something to en- capsulate what it feels like to be from Houston, Texas – it’s the above image. Black men, clad in masks that may have hid their beards and grimaces but not their determination. Riders from the 5th Ward and other trail rides across the city descended on Discovery Green Tuesday (June 2), along with thousands of men, women and children who marched in the name of George Floyd.
According to city officials, the estimated attendance of the march was around 60,000 peo- ple.
The protest, organized by the Floyd Family and community leaders, began at Discovery Green and snaked through downtown and ended up at City Hall. Along the way, numerous individuals yelled variations of “I Can’t Breathe,” “No Justice, No Peace,” “Say His Name – George Floyd” and verbal slan- der towards the President of the
PROTESTORS
United States.
On stage at Discovery Green,
Bun B made it clear that the day was about peace and not any foolishness.
“If you see instigators at- tempting to disrupt this protest, point they ass out and we will re- move them,” the Trill OG said. “You know the phrase, ‘blood, sweat and tears?’ We gon’ sweat today, there may be tears, but there won’t be no blood shed.”
MINNEAPOLIS — Protests were largely peaceful and the nation’s streets were calmer than they have been in days since the killing of George Floyd set off sometimes vio- lent demonstrations over police brutality and injustice against African Americans.
Earlier curfews and efforts by protesters to contain the law- lessness prevented more wide- spread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight.
By Wednesday morning, ar- rests had grown to more than 9,000 nationwide since the vandalism, arson and shootings erupted around the U. S. in re- action to Floyd’s death May 25 in Minneapolis. At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out.
In Washington, where au- thorities ordered people off streets before sundown, thou- sands of demonstrators massed a block from the White House on Tuesday evening, following a crackdown a day earlier when officers drove peaceful protest- ers away from Lafayette Park to clear the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op with a Bible at a church. A black chain-link fence was put up to block access to the park.
Pastors at the church prayed with demonstrators and handed out water bottles. The crowd remained in place after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew passed,
“TRIBUTE TO OUR SHEROES”
defying warnings that the re- sponse from law enforcement could be even more forceful. But the people were peaceful, even polite.
Tuesday night, undeterred by an 8 p.m. curfew, though most streets were clear by early Wednesday. Battered store- fronts from the earlier rounds of violence could be seen in midtown Manhattan.
Protesters also marched in Los Angeles; Miami; St. Paul, Minnesota; Columbia, South Carolina; and Houston, where the police chief talked to peace- ful demonstrators, vowing re- forms.
“God as my witness, change is coming,” Art Acevedo said. “And we’re going to do it the right way.”
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence.
In Philadelphia, a statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was removed by the city early Wednesday after repeatedly being targeted by vandals. Rizzo presided over a police force widely accused of racism and brutality in the 1970s.
At one point, the crowd booed when a protester climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”
Pope Francis called for na- tional reconciliation and peace, saying he has ‘’witnessed with great concern the disturbing so- cial unrest’’ in the U. S.
“My friends, we cannot tol- erate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,’’ he said.
Trump has pushed the na- tion’s governors to take a hard line against the violence, tweet- ing on Tuesday that “lowlifes and losers” were taking over New York’s streets. He again tweeted Wednesday: “LAW & ORDER!”
Thousands of people re- mained out in New York City on
6 Atlanta Officers Have Been Charged In Violent Tasing Incident
Arrest warrants have been is- sued for six Atlanta police offi- cers who were caught on video tasing two college students Sat- urday. The students were stopped for violating curfew, Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, Jr. said Tuesday.
The officers stand accused of aggravated assault, illegally pointing a taser, and criminal damage to property, said prose- cutors. Video of the brutal arrest went viral over the weekend, leading to the firing of two offi- cers involved; three others were placed on desk duty.
“The conduct involved in this incident is not indicative of the way that we treat people in the city of Atlanta,” Howard said in a news conference on Tuesday.
As seen in police body camera footage, a group of officers sur- rounded a car that 22-year-old Messiah Young was driving. They opened the passenger’s side door, and demanded 20-year-old Taniyah Pilgrim, who was sit- ting in the passenger’s seat, get out.
Although Pilgrim asked re- peatedly what was going on, she did not receive an answer. As of- ficers attempted to pull her from the still-moving car, she screamed for Young to stop the vehicle.
That’s when police, without giving her time to get out, hit her with a taser. Separate body cam- era footage shows another officer used his baton to smash out the driver’s side window before
Roland Claud, Marck Gard- ner, Lonnie Hood, Jr., Armon Jones, Willie Sauls, and Ivory Streeter were charged by the Ful- ton County District attorney on June 2, 2020.
tasering Young. The two were subsequently dragged out of the car and placed under arrest. All of this occurred as other officers on the scene slashed the tires on the car — which can be seen in the video that went viral.
According to his attorney, Young suffered a fractured arm and needed 20 stitches as a re- sult of the incident.
“We felt like we were going to die in that car,” Pilgrim said Monday.
The incident has brought widespread condemnation from city leaders. “I know that we caused further fear to you in a space that’s already so fearful for so many African Americans, and I am genuinely sorry,” Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said in a news conference Sunday. “This is not who we are. This is not what we’re about.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bot- toms said Sunday that charges against both students were dropped and that Young was re- leased from police custody.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 23-A